Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha (Walbaum, 1792) life history influences how diagnostic cranial structures relate to fish length.

Abstract

Diagnostic bones can aid in identification and size determination of fishes from ingested prey, archaeological remains or damaged specimens. We extracted diagnostic structures, including cleithra, dentaries, opercles and otoliths, from juvenile spring Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) from three distinct groups: hatchery, naturally produced and surrogate, representing shared genetics. Although our observations highlight that growth and life history are important considerations in structuring allometry, we note that a wide variety of diagnostic bones and measurement axes may be suitable for determining body lengths where remains may be damaged or incomplete.